Harish Rawat eying Haridwar rural seat?

HARIDWAR: Congress leader Harish Rawat decided to shift his political base to Haridwar in 2009, after having lost four consecutive parliamentary elections from his home seat Almora from 1991 to 1999. Rawat’s win from Haridwar Lok Sabha seat with a margin of 127,000 votes led to his political revival. He became the Union water resources minister and later the chief minister of Uttarakhand.

Prior to contesting from Haridwar seat, Rawat had started actively participating in political events, rallies, public events and even marriages of local people.

Now in 2021, political activeness of Rawat is again being visible in Haridwar district with major focus on rural areas, raising speculation that the Congress national general secretary may contest from the Haridwar rural seat in next year’s assembly elections.

In the past fortnight, Rawat has made five visits to the Haridwar rural segment carrying out foot march, holding party workers’ meetings, attending public functions and even unofficially inaugurating a bridge which was to be inaugurated by cabinet minister Swami Yatishwaranand, who had defeated Rawat in 2017 assembly elections.

Earlier this week when Rawat was holding a foot march at Laldhang, villagers at Atmalpur Bongla urged Rawat to open the Laldhang-Meetiberi bridge. Villagers pointed out that bridge work has been completed but it has not been inaugurated officially despite vehicles plying on the bridge since August. The foundation of the bridge built at ₹18 crore was laid during Rawat’s tenure as CM, so he accepted villagers’ demand and inaugurated the bridge creating stir among political circles.

Evading a direct answer on whether he will contest from Haridwar again, Rawat said he has not thought about this as his current focus is on reaching out to maximum voters and assembly segments in the state.

“Haridwar has been my ‘karmabhoomi’ which revived my political career and as chief minister of the state, I visited maximum times and ushered in development works in Haridwar,” he said. “The party high command’s decision and directives are final in our party; my focus is on all 70 seats as campaign committee chairman.”

Congress Sewa Dal state head Rajesh Rastogi, a close aide of Rawat, said, “Rawat’s contest from Haridwar will impact 11 seats of the district as well as neighbouring districts of Dehradun, Pauri Garhwal and Tehri Garhwal with a total 23 seats.”

Political analyst Padam Singh Chauhan said, “Rawat has this time an opportunity to revenge his 2017 loss to Swami Yatishwaranand. Swami has been facing allegations of favouring quarrying mafia.”

Cabinet minister Yatishwaranand said: “Voters had already rejected Rawat both in Kumaon and Garhwal in 2017 assembly elections and if he wants to test the public mandate again, he is free to contest from any seat but result will be same. He will lose.”